Microbiological Study On Spoilage Of Mango Fruit

Project and Seminar Material for Microbiology

Abstract

Thirty ripe mango fruits were pluked under sterile conditions from different geographical locations in Enugu metropolis. The mango fruits were exposed to open environment for 5 – 7 days to allow decay. The decaying mango fruits were washed with sterile water to extract the microorganisms.

Using the streak plate method, the microorganisms were inoculated unto a petridish of nutrient agar and incubated for 24 hours at room temperature of 250C.

A mixture of bacteria, moulds and yeasts were observed as microorganism involved in the decay of the mango fruits.

Chapter One

Introduction

The bacterial name of mango is mangifere indica. T he genus mangifera belongs to the family ariocardiaceae. It is a dicotyledonous plant. Mango originated in India spread into cultivation and common use in the Indian subcontinent by 2000B.C. The tree is now found through out the tropics and has become naturalized in many areas out side its country of origin. Mango is so important in Indian where annual production is around 8 million.

Mangoes spread throughout southeast Asia during the first millennium B.C but did not reach Africa until about 1,000 years ago. They were introduced to the new world at the beginning of the eighteenth century. There are no defined limits of rainfall necessary for the successful cultivation of mangoes, provides that there is a distinct annual dry season when the crop flowers. First set tends to be least in very wet, humid areas and irrigation may be necessary in areas with little rainfall. Similarly, the crop will grow in a wide range of temperatures, but thrives when the temperature is around 250C. A very large number of cultiuvars is recognized, the best of them being those which have been selected for their delicious, delicately flavoured fruits whave very little fibre in their flesh.

All such superior cultivars are propagated vegetative by budding, but there eve unfortunately many inferior mangoes grown from seed which have coarse, fibrous fruits often thought to taste of turpentine. There are around 60 species in the genus mangifera, most of them found in southeast Asia, from northern India to new Guinea, where they occur as tree in the savannas and in the lowland, wet forests several species have edible fruits and a few are cultivated in restricted areas in Asia, but only mangifera indica is wide spread and important.

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